San Benito County supervisors approved the appointment of a
permanent planning director this week
– a move that will allow the county to begin working on several
projects that have been on hold since the former planning director
was fired in May.
Hollister – San Benito County supervisors approved the appointment of a permanent planning director this week – a move that will allow the county to begin working on several projects that have been on hold since the former planning director was fired in May.
The board voted unanimously Tuesday to approve the hiring of Arthur Henriques, who currently works for the city of Santa Clara’s planning department as the assistant director of planning. San Benito’s planning director position has been filled by part-time interim director Michael Bethke since the Board of Supervisors fired Rob Mendiola seven months ago. Mendiola had led the department for more than two decades.
Supervisors said they are happy to have Henriques on board and hope to begin working with him on long-postponed projects, such as a review of the county’s general plan.
“I think we’re very fortunate to have somebody with his vast amount of experience and knowledge of this area and region,” Supervisor Anthony Botelho said. “I think we’ll be able to accomplish a lot of goals that I set out to do when I ran for this position. I definitely think that we need to get started very early on in the year with a general plan revision, or at least strategize how we’re going to do that.”
Henriques has been in the planning field for 26 years, according to a written statement. He holds a master’s degree in urban and regional planning from California State University at San Jose, and a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies/psychology and community studies from the University of California at Santa Cruz.
Henriques, who is slated to start in San Benito on Jan. 23, said he is eager to get to work.
“I am very excited to be coming down to San Benito County,” he said. “I think there’s a lot of great opportunities. I know the community wants to grow to some extent, but also wants to hang on to its rural community character.”
Board Chair Reb Monaco said hiring a permanent planning director has been a priority for the board since it terminated Mendiola, and that he has high hopes for Henriques.
“I was very impressed with his resume and his background,” he said, “and I believe he will bring a consistent and highly-ethical leadership to the department.”
Consistency has been lacking within the department, which has seen a fair amount of controversy and turnover in the past year.
Two months before he was fired in May, Mendiola and the planning department were the subject of a county investigation stemming from allegations by two building inspectors. They claimed Mendiola had abused his power to help former Supervisor Richard Scagliotti use his position as a county supervisor for financial gain in a development project. The accusation of corruption was part of a lawsuit lawyer Michael Pekin filed against the county and Scagliotti.
The investigation was completed in April, but the Board of Supervisors have not released its findings because they involve pending litigation in Pekin’s ongoing case against Scagliotti. Mendiola was exonerated of any criminal activity by the investigation, according to County Counsel Claude Biddle, however the reasons for Mendiola’s termination were never made public.
Less than two weeks after Mendiola was fired, another management position in the department became vacant when Deputy Planning Director Fred Goodrich quit, giving the county 48 hours notice – the same length of notice the county gave Mendiola.
The Board of Supervisors took steps to fill the leadership void in the department when it hired Bethke as part-time interim planning director in mid-May. Bethke said he will stay with the county long enough to help Henriques transition into the job.
County Administrative Officer Susan Thompson said she has been pleased with Bethke’s work over the last several months.
“We’ve made a lot of progress with our interim director,” she said. “But I’m looking forward to filling the position permanently.”
As planning director, Henriques will make $109,199 in salary and receive full benefits.
Luke Roney covers local government and the environment for the Free Lance. Reach him at 831-637-5566 ext. 335 or at lr****@fr***********.com
